GRIZZ’s English 2001 S10 Extra Cab 4.3 V6 Truck

[Grizz1963]

Bank holiday weekend, or public holiday weekend

Lots of plans.

Failed

So the doors of the Canta are pretty much frames covered in moulded fibre plastic or something.

23 years of use and abuse have seen them scabbed up like this.



So they needed to be sanded back , possibly treated with a rust stabiliser or converter and then painted again.

I cleared the Rezin Rockit away so that there would be no flying grit on it, and masked the inside of the Canta with pull sheets.

I really do love the look of this car, from the rear and front.

The stance does do it for me.



Of course Mickey came around the moment he realised I was working.

At 78 he is taking it a bit easier now. But loves getting involved or in the way.



Grinder and fine 120 grit flap disc



Of course I knew there would be damage to the fabric, but also plan on renewing it all when the time comes, with new vinyl.

Ground back and treated with the VACTAN rust converter/stabiliser.







Once the VACTAN had dried, as it was hot and two coats were applied, it was time to paint the first coat of exterior use black enamel paint (it is good enough in this case, for this car)

I had bought this previously as there was no black Hammerite available, in the hope it would work well enough for most applications.

Mixed through and applied.

I was not impressed.



Thin coat all over the sanded and treated sections as well as the good parts, in order to get an even finish.



Good looking result.



By 4.30pm I shut shop and carried on with other jobs……

Later after 6.00 I went to check the paint and realised it was still wet……

Not a good sign.

Sunday it continued to be wet and come off on the fingers, even after a light touch.

Today, by midday it was still tacky and stuck to my fingers.

I am so unimpressed as I had more jobs to do, but cannot come near the car for fear of getting paint all over myself and my garage clothes.

Maybe I will be clearing all the paint off by next weekend.

Weekend over, not happy.

Video :

https://youtu.be/98TEXIFcKYU


End shows the paint sticking to my fingers.


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[Grizz1963]

After weeks of rubbish weather and bad excuses, the Kings coronation weekend brought me a dry afternoon on Sunday.

So I removed the front engine mount and made up a plate to reinforce and support the whole thing.

And of course the mounting plate was bent so the BFH came out to play.





Cleaned the old weld off and prepped for welding.



Hole in the front chassis support to close up..



Plan was angle iron to wrap around……



But that plan ditched as it was going to be a fight to make it take up less space.

So 30mm x 4mm flat bar used instead.

Cut to size and prepared.



In place and clamped for tack welding to original mount bracket.



Once that was done, I wrapped up for the day and spent some time tidying up,the garden, planting various flowers, and a lavender bush.

Bonnie came to visit with Sally and of course George was growling like a lion, he had already attacked Bonnie as she came into the house…..

So she was consigned to the garden on a 21 foot or 7 meter lunge lead.

Happy dog, loads of toys and in company.



And a video

https://youtu.be/Lm13TLFdxIA

In case you cannot be bothered reading the words 😉

[Grizz1963]

Monday morning, being a public holiday, after the king got his crown, meant more time for small jobs.

Andy got in around 7.30am from a 13 hr night shift, grabbed a beer and went upstairs to FaceTime his wife and kids.

I had breakfast, then went to open the garage and unpack the tools we would need and get the Canta ready for a quick weld…. By Andy.

Typically, George was there to inspect and do the QC.



After tacking the new base plate, and the engine mount plate, they were welded up on both sides, with a double run on the inside.





Then I put it all back together, in position and Andy ran some welds all around.

Weirdly, a couple of holes popped up on the two sides of the thin chassis material.

Which he obviously closed up.






Followed by grinding back with a flap disc.



And then a TEST DRIVE

I have to say, it is completely different to before, when the engine was bouncing around.

And once the belts are replaced and tensioned correctly, along with the throttle cable, and as planned a conversion from hand controls, back to foot control pedals by mate Martin, I suspect this car will be a completely different creature.

It has also managed to be a bit more aggressive in the launch and take off stakes.

Leaving marks on the concrete and grass.




VIDEO:

https://youtu.be/vnTCbvl-V8M

After testing, and parking the Canta Andy had a beer, keep in mind, his clock is completely switched around till September, and I had a coffee.

Later I went back and masked up, and painted the new metal and welds black.


This is a small job, but suddenly it allows a load of other tasks to be initiated or completed.


Next stop will be to find some belts for the CVT and alternator in the UK, rather than importing at cost of shipping and import duties, from Europe as we are not in the same trade zone anymore.


Progress is Progress as Ta2Don always says.






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[Palf70Step]

Nice work Rian.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Nice work Rian.

Thanks Bill.

I am sure you will agree, doing a half-ass job takes as much time as doing it right.

So easy choice really.







Yesterday started as normal.

Two business meetings booked.

Then the lightening started to strike.

So 11.30 meeting, head office announces 7/10 marketeers are going into consultation.

3.00pm national business review meeting more bad news, group 1, 2, 3 called into different meetings.

Bottom line….. third redundancy action in 3 years.

I have been kept in my role and it will be made bigger and expanded, thank fcuk that I go to work every day and have been growing the last two years.

There is a lot to be said for getting out of bed and going to work every day.

Sadly, a bunch of people will be made redundant. Again.

I am getting real tired of this Sh!t.

Seriously.

[Palf70Step]

Glad to hear you are being kept Rian. Sorry to hear about the others.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Glad to hear you are being kept Rian. Sorry to hear about the others.

Indeed Bill.




Back to our regular transmission

I asked on a Dutch Canta group if anyone hed fitted other wheels or tyres to one of these.

Only reply was a guy who fitted slightly widder and very different scooter tyres.

Not sure what to make of it yet, but I think it looks OK.

[Grizz1963]

Still P!$$€d at the way this week unfolded, today was a loss in many ways.

But I guess in real terms it did deliver something intangible…… mind space.

Nick Wheeler popped in for a few hours chat and looking at various aspects of this little car (he accidentally called it a car) when I was messing around with a propane gas bottle and some V8 headers for something else that I went to make.

I also spent some time shooting the breeze with him.

Looking at a few of the small issues that add up to being the mess this car currently is.

The front disc brakes seem to work, needing to be serviced though.

Nick also identified the thread and size of the missing nut that is meant to hold the choke cable and knob in place.

So an old wheel nut was cut back to create a new one (to be fitted)




I also grabbed an old rag, and some petrol and wiped away all the sticky paint from two/three weeks ago.

Long overdue job.






Yesterday I had taken the day off work to also just get my head clear…..

I went shopping for work clothes, and then headed out to mate Darren’s over on the Isle of Sheppey.

A few hours with him and the guys in the engineering shop always clears my mind.

Like me, he is a bit of a collector and hoarder, but also just to move stuff on to other people…..

I scored a Lotus 7 type nose cone he insisted on me taking.

I only took it because I knew where it needed to go.

A while ago I got a non running, minus carburettor, V-Twin lawn tractor from @frankenhealey


This was the best option yet, compared to scratch building a new engine cowl.


Just a test placement.





Nothing else done.


Tomorrow will be better.

[Grizz1963]

Still P!$$€d at the way this week unfolded, today was a loss in many ways.

But I guess in real terms it did deliver something intangible…… mind space.

Nick Wheeler popped in for a few hours chat and looking at various aspects of this little car (he accidentally called it a car) when I was messing around with a propane gas bottle and some V8 headers for something else that I went to make.

I also spent some time shooting the breeze with him.

Looking at a few of the small issues that add up to being the mess this car currently is.

The front disc brakes seem to work, needing to be serviced though.

Nick also identified the thread and size of the missing nut that is meant to hold the choke cable and knob in place.

So an old wheel nut was cut back to create a new one (to be fitted)




I also grabbed an old rag, and some petrol and wiped away all the sticky paint from two/three weeks ago.

Long overdue job.






Yesterday I had taken the day off work to also just get my head clear…..

I went shopping for work clothes, and then headed out to mate Darren’s over on the Isle of Sheppey.

A few hours with him and the guys in the engineering shop always clears my mind.

Like me, he is a bit of a collector and hoarder, but also just to move stuff on to other people…..

I scored a Lotus 7 type nose cone he insisted on me taking.

I only took it because I knew where it needed to go.

A while ago I got a non running, minus carburettor, V-Twin lawn tractor from @frankenhealey


This was the best option yet, compared to scratch building a new engine cowl.


Just a test placement.





Nothing else done.


Tomorrow will be better.

[Grizz1963]

Not been able to pick up speed this weekend, including Friday that I had taken off.

Eventually got going around 11.00

Ran into a wall, despite high hopes for a few jobs to get done.

But got one done.

Choke.

Before………



After




Long winded video

https://youtu.be/KM_bFAgoLTk


Also noticed that I need to find some of this weird tubing for the heating system.



@frankenhealey will know that there are alternatives, the drive belt, as fitted is incorrect. Correct code is 704040



Little by little we will get there.


Weekend over.


Again.

[CG]

Hard to tell size from pics, but maybe some tubing from an old air cooled VW?

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by CG

Hard to tell size from pics, but maybe some tubing from an old air cooled VW?

Indeed it looks like it.

But I understand it is a silicone type to manage the heat as it is a system that uses the exhaust manifold to heat air, which is sucked past it…..

I will see what the clever people suggest.

[Grizz1963]

In the mean time……..

Have a 2 minute Bonus clip.

https://youtu.be/OZQ-FlrA3Z8

[Grizz1963]

https://youtu.be/IrxcDd8R_9U

[Grizz1963]

Still not loaded the real thing.

https://youtu.be/6FAd-pzvSqk

[Grizz1963]

TWO WEEKS OF NOT TOUCHING THE CANTA……

So what has happened?

Time well spent in my garden and 4 days up in Shropshire helping Craig to move some of his jobs on.

It was not hugely successful, but it was progress nonetheless.

Previous videos show a bit of what we got to do.

One of the rewards over the weekend, was to drag out Craigs 1950’s Messerschmitt KR250 replica.

The reward was to try getting it to run after 14 years in storage.

So not so much a “find” but a barn-release I guess.

VIDEO:

https://youtu.be/5d3gCONPsGA


Hopefully this weekend will see me get some Canta time.

Fingers crossed.

[CG]

I was surprised the Messerschmidt was a replica, I searched online and couldnt find one, just newer ones that arent half as cool.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by CG

I was surprised the Messerschmidt was a replica, I searched online and couldnt find one, just newer ones that arent half as cool.

Hi CG,

I suspect that there are replicas, and then there are “replicas”

It probably depends on the level of detail a producer wants to go to.

It probably equals increased cost.

Craig has had this one a very long time.

Like any good hoarder, it will stay with him even longer.

[Grizz1963]

Well, went to my second or third bootfair of the year.

Only half a field full by 07.00

Mostly pink junk and stuff that seems to belong in a dumpster.

Prices I heard have certainly gone way up.

I found one small tin for £1.00 which maybe I could have wrangled a bit on price, but a year or two ago this was a 50p max item.

I suspect that other than wetting the bed and having to get up early on a Sunday with nothing better to do, this is where I need to realise that they are not what they used to be.




In other news, Dennis went to a car show and cruise in the NASCAR C10 Truck.

He had Bryan drive, burn out and parade it with wife Katie…..



Adam took a pic of people taking pics of the truck.



I guess it does really have a presence out there.







Looking forward to my next drive in it as well.

[Grizz1963]

I needed some distraction today.

TBH, I was kinda expecting @nickwheeler to pop around after his Sunday tasks…..

Anyway, Decided after a dead bootfair, and before starting on the Canta, to take the RR for a run.

Tempt fate, some would say.

So I drove over to Allhallows to see if @forddan68 was in, to ask him about what polish to use on my S10 as I want to just give the paint a bit of love, not a full “detail” or anything that extreme….. but it was all quiet there and I was not going to knock on the door.

So I carried on with my drive, heading toward Rochester in the opposite direction.

Eventually making it back home with no cut out or breakdown like before.

Did I get lucky, or is the previous minimal issue sorting itself out.

Parked up, after I got home.




After this, I went to do a few small jobs on the Canta.


Weekend over again.
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[Grizz1963]

What happens when a Canta has right of way, but the driver on the intersection has no clue.




Mate Kevin, aka Woodside is at the Isle of Man for the TT Races.

Last night he discovered a Canta LX.

Investigation showed it to be a 337cc model as well.

Other than a flat drivers tyre, it seems to be exceptionally tidy, and a 2007 registered model.



Sunday morning the boot fair was a distinct bust, so I took the Rezin Rockit for a run, and it all went really well.

Hopefully a sign of things to come.



Sunday afternoon I managed to do a few small jobs that had been bothering me for a while.

Removed the speakers that had been dangling off the dash, including the wiring, as much as I could get to.




Made up a pair of plates to help restore the hood release latch that I had managed to destroy in winter.



Painted it.

And refitted it all.



Then drilled out the rivets that held the remaining bits of door retaining straps.



Also made a recording of what I got up to.

Enjoy, comment, subscribe or do whatever you need to do at this point. 😉


https://youtu.be/o3oa2tYnGOM


That concluded a short, but rewarding afternoon.


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[Grizz1963]

Weekend is here again.

I really need to push my motivation at the moment. Funny how the ****ty state of emotional affairs at work creeps into every day life. Reducing drive and joy in getting things done.

Hopefully get something random and worthwhile done, mowed the lawn and did two loads of washing after work yesterday, yes, I do all my own domestic stuff.

This morning I refitted and repacked a very large printers tray and all the crappo on it, it fell off the wall months ago and I just swept the broken ornaments and mementos into a corner 6 months ago.

Not sure what I will get done, but maybe cleaning up the Canta inside, finding some pipe to rebuild its exhaust for under the body.

Address the front end where the lights are mounted etc to straighten that out.

Coffee and garage keys next.

[Grizz1963]

Company car said this on Friday.

Low miles for a 2020 and three year old.



Went for a walk on one of the days this week and saw the poppies are massively down in numbers this year.

George had gone missing for two days, so I was looking to see if he has been killed and thrown in a ditch, or if the farmers shot him.

He returned casually on Friday morning, asking for breakfast. Dick.

[Grizz1963]

Before starting on the Canta yesterday, I had a few small jobs to do indoors.

After which I went out to the shop, moved stuff about and started to look for somewhere to mount and power the 200W LED spotlight my lodger, Andy who previously lived here and helped with the welding and hole digging when I built the carport, had liberated from a skip at work. Crazy world we live in, it was mounted, then found to be in the way of works going on, removed and put in the skip. The cost of repatriation on building sites exceed the written off value of items.

Andy went home this week, to see his wife and for an interview with Rolls Royce, which seems very positive. So he may be gone sooner than planned.

As a consolation he brought some large, salty pretzels 🥨



Back to the work light.

So a suitable length of 3 core wire and a plug added, light mounted on a beam, thanks to @nickwheeler who popped in and held it in place for me to fasten.

Sally was waiting patiently for me to get done so we could go walk Bonnie on the outgoing tide down at the River Thames.

Testing.

This thing is deceptively bright.



In position.



And at 10.30pm last night when I got home.

This certainly, along with the strip lights will make the space super light for working in winter when it gets dark at 3.30pm




Once the light was fitted, I closed shop as Sally was patiently waiting for me to to go walk the dog……

Always fun walkingBonnie, as she is such a hyperactive dog.

Interesting sight passed us on the footpath.



Back at home, I got back to the Canta, a few small jobs in mind.

My motivation is kinda low with all the cr@p and insecurity at work.

First job was to clean out all the aluminium swarf from last weekends drilling rivets.

Then found some of the nylon webbing used for the Rezin Rockit roll bar wrap and measured, cut it to size, followed by hearing a piece of welding rod to burn the holes through for the rivets.



Result.



Riveting progress.



Done.



Both sides now retained, hopefully preventing over extension and damage.





Next job was a bigger one, and had been bothering me since day one.

The bonnet/hood supports had been damaged by the engine bouncing around while the front engine mount was broken

This left everything catching, mal-aligned and of course the hood latch needing to be forced.

After fixing the cable operated release last weekend, the obvious next job, which I could no longer avoid, was this.

Shown more clearly in the video……. This was the process.

So I tried to manually pull it into position using a length of trucking webbing the pavement gods had blessed me with at some time.

I failed………

So it was onto “Plan B” that should have been “Plan A” to prevent wasting time.

Using a hydraulic jack, and my large ball pein hammer handle, I just lifted it and pushed it back up to the position it needed to be.

Simple solutions often deliver the best outcomes.



Looking at the bonnet before, it was way out of alignment.



After.



And stepping back.

Just so much better.




Buoyed by my success, I put the tools down, went for a pee and made a coffee.

Then back to the last job of the day, another eyesore.

Duck tape is godly stuff, but man it can leave a mess years later.

My guess is that the radio-tape had come unscrewed/broke away from the dash, and some genius used (as it should be when stuff moves that should not move) duck tape to secure it all……. Till it was removed by a subsequent fixer.

So armed with some blue garage paper towel and washing petrol/gas I cleaned this mess.





And the result was satisfying to say the least.



Closed up shop, came indoors and sat editing the bits of footage from the day for an hour or more.

Showered, went to Sallys place to upload on her decent Wi-Fi, the YouTube video.


VIDEO LINK:

https://youtu.be/9Yc6Kj6Umk8

Sunday today, need to go next door and cut Mickey’s lawn as it is looking rubbish.

Then maybe some more Canta Time.

[Grizz1963]

Small jobs, often we avoid them because they are awkward or easy to overlook.

Case in point, the rear light.

I knew from day one it was broken and managed to find a replacement UK Nova rear light. Slightly different, but intact.

The price resonated really well with me as well, as I support Help for Heroes being ex military as well.

So part of Sunday was spent doing house and garden jobs, including watering Mickey’s wife’s garden and seedlings, she has a lot. I also took my mower around and cut his Tetris-like lawn.

Then back to the Canta, where I knew a job had been waiting, the rear light replacement.

Interior covered in layers of fabric and Velcro, and all glued together, so I “removed” some of it to get in there.



Removed all the connectors carefully with long nosed pliers as they were corroded, and in an effort to be able to reassemble them, used some masking tape to lay them out in order.



Next job necessitated a Stanley knife and a prayer as the old light was glued in with Tiger seal or something similarly brutal.

But I got it out.



Old VS New.

Colours differ nd of course now I have two reverse lamps, so a bright red lightbulb in the fog light side, plus swapping the wires for the sides needs to happen for UK road worthiness.



Interior fitting done, hopefully not going to need to remove it again.





Fitted.



And final result.



It is a small job that took a while to get to, and then the cleanup etc took a bit of time, but I am very pleased.

Once again it shows, small jobs take a load of time.

VIDEOS:

https://youtu.be/TEXRBfVZAEs

And high speed.

https://youtu.be/2zziYzBXdr0

Thanks for checking in.

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